Settle in the UK (indefinite leave to remain)

Indefinite leave to remain is how you settle in the UK. It’s also called ‘settlement’. It gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible. You can use it to apply for British citizenship.

There are different ways to apply for indefinite leave to remain based on your circumstances.

If you or your family member are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you may be able to apply for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme instead.

If you work in the UK
You may be able to apply if you have a work visa.

You must usually have lived and worked in the UK for 5 years. If you have a tier 1 visa, it can be 2 or 3 years. If you have an Innovator Founder or Global Talent visa, it can be 3 years.

You may also need to meet the salary or financial requirements - this depends on your visa.

If you’ve lived in the UK for 10 years

You may be able to apply if you’ve been living here for 10 years or more.

There’s a different way to apply if you have a visa that’s on the basis of your private life.

If you’re a Commonwealth citizen
You can apply if you’ve been living in the UK for 5 years on a UK Ancestry visa.

Some Commonwealth citizens have ‘right of abode’ in the UK. This means you can live or work in the UK without immigration restrictions. Check if you can apply to prove you have right of abode in the UK.

You may be eligible for citizenship instead, for example by applying under the Windrush scheme.